Jupiter's Secret
by Krissy Muffinhead
Summary: *COMPLETE* Just a story about Jupiter that I wrote a couple of years ago. I thought I'd put it up just for kicks ^_~
1. Part One

Jupiter's Secret  
  
  
  
Featuring Lita as Sailor Jupiter/Princess Makoto, Ken as himself, Celeste as herself (a villain), Serena as Sailor Moon, Amy as Mercury, Raye as Mars, Mina as Venus, Luna and Artemis as themselves, and a brief appearance by Darien!  
  
  
  
Part One  
  
Ken awoke, an uneasy feeling bursting in his chest, and forcing his heart rate to rise. He rubbed a hand over his face. He'd been feeling the little anxiety attacks for over a month now, and every time, it went away within a half hour. The half hour it was there was hell, though.  
  
He staggered out into the hall, paused for a moment, then sighed and walked back into his room. It was the fourth hour of morning, and there was nothing he could do to distract his mind from the pain without awakening his mother or father.  
  
Why was he constantly being attacked by these apprehensive feelings? He mentally checked off what he was supposed to accomplish today. He had done everything he needed to, so why was his breathing rapid and his heart about ready to burst?  
  
He threw on some jeans and a shirt. He needed to talk to someone about this. Now.  
  
  
  
There was a knock at the door. Oh, no, not now, Lita thought desperately. Because she was no longer Lita, but Sailor Jupiter, a defender of the innocent. Who could it be at this hour in the morning?! Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the doorknob turning. Why hadn't she locked it?!  
  
She flipped over the youma she was fighting easily, and blocked the thin wooden door with a chair. That was too close. Much too close.  
  
"Lita? Are you up?" an innocent voice called from the hall.  
  
Ken, Lita realized instantly. But what's he doing here?  
  
"Just a minute," she muttered through the door, trying to sound as if she hadn't been up and full of adrenaline for the past half-hour. Just then, the youma shot some kind of webbing at her, which she easily dodged.  
  
The youma was horrific looking, a huge spider with covered in thin wiry hair, with the head of a beautiful blond woman. The head, although beautiful, was destroying this fact with poison and blood dripping down it's chin and hair completely covered in some kind of gunk.  
  
It had come for no apparent reason to Lita's apartment in the middle of the night. It was a good thing Lita had already been up and roaming, or she might have been dead already.  
  
"Lita? What's going on?" Ken's voice rose. All he could hear was heavy breathing and the occasional thump.  
  
"Just a minute," Jupiter repeated, in harsher tones this time. Please, don't let Ken see this, she prayed. The doorknob rattled.  
  
"Are you okay?" a concerned voice called.  
  
Just then, Jupiter sensed an attack and used her strongest power, supreme thunder, to stop it even before it came. The spider thing was okay, but obviously injured. "I'll be back," it rasped, and just as quickly disappeared.  
  
Jupiter sighed in relief, and morphed into her pajamas. She grabbed a robe and threw it on.  
  
She opened the door stepped back easily. "Lita? Are you okay? What happened?" Ken asked worriedly. The pains were getting worse now. Sweat covered his face, and he knew without a mirror that he looked horrible.  
  
"Nothing happened, just banged into the coffee table," Lita lied wanly. "What's wrong with you? You're was pale as a ghost."  
  
"Oh, yeah." He stood there awkwardly a moment, before clearing his throat and asking tentivly, "May I come in?"  
  
"Oh, sorry, come in." Lita ushered him to the couch, and sat on a nearby chair. "What's up?"  
  
"Well, I.um, see, the thing is.I kind of." he trailed off.  
  
"Come on, tell me!" she insisted gently. "What are best friends for, right?"  
  
Ken winced before admitting, "Well, I do kind of need some help. See, for about a month now I been having these...well, I guess you could call them attacks-"  
  
"Attacks? From who?" Lita asked worriedly, hoping that a youma hadn't escaped and attacked him.  
  
"No, nothing like that, it's just the sudden pains, and I don't know what they're from. I was thinking of going to the doctor, but once they're gone, nothing hurts or is sore or anything. I was having them just before I sat down here, and now it's gone."  
  
"Oh." Lita didn't know much about health and medical mumbo jumbo, so she did what she knew best. "Would you like a brownie?"  
  
"Lita!" he cried in disbelief. "It's like 4:30 in the morning! But yeah," he admitted, "I could go for a brownie."  
  
Lita walked to the kitchen. Sudden pains? That didn't sound good. She'd have to ask Amy about that. Could this be the Negaverse? Lita, she chided herself, not everything has to be caused by those evil beings.  
  
She walked back into the living room with a plate of brownies and two glasses of milk. She studied Ken while he ate, somewhat ravenously.  
  
"Ken?" she asked when he was finished.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Are you under a lot of stress lately?"  
  
He laughed at her. "Who are you, Doctor Lita??"  
  
She laughed with him. "Well, just call me or come over if you have another one," she said as he got up to leave. "Even if it is 4:00am," she teased.  
  
He reddened slightly. "Sorry about that."  
  
"Nah, don't worry about it."  
  
"Bye."  
  
"See ya."  
  
***  
  
The next day at Cross Roads Junior High, Lita had one mission: track down Amy and find out what was wrong with Ken. But she didn't get a chancr, until the scout meeting later at the Shinto shrine, Raye's house.  
  
"Amy," she asked casually when the gossip had slowed up some. "If someone is having sudden pain attacks, for no reason-.well, is there a reason?" she asked, somewhat confused trying to sort out her thoughts.  
  
The rest of the senshi looked at her with puzzled looks, accompanied by sweat-drops from Serena and Mina.  
  
"Do you have health problems, Lita?" Luna asked cautiously.  
  
To everyone's relief, Lita laughed and shook her head. "Come on, you guys know I'm the invincible Jupiter!" she kidded. "It's a friend who I'm talking about."  
  
"Oh."  
  
In response to Lita's first question, Amy said, "Honestly, I don't know. It could be many things, but they're all related to stress and depression. Could those be a factor?"  
  
Lita slowly shook her head. "No, I don't think so. He's pretty calm, and,"  
  
"HE?!" the whole group minus Luna shouted.  
  
"I mean." Lita blushed. "Never mind."  
  
Abruptly, Lita remembered the surprise youma attack at her apartment. She frowned and said, "I do have another problem though."  
  
"What?" Serena leaned forward, anxious for any gossip.  
  
Lita explained what had happened early that morning before the sun had risen; a surprise youma attack, from a blond spider.  
  
When she finished the tale, the scouts looked at her oddly. "Are you sure it wasn't a dream?" Artemis implied.  
  
"No, definitely not. And it said that it would be back," Lita replied.  
  
"Well, this is a problem. Amy," Luna said, directing the girls' attention to the quiet girl in the corner. "Could you check out any possible enemy locations where strange vibes are being given off?"  
  
"Sure," Amy said cheerfully, now that she had something to do. She took out her mini- computer and starting typing away like a mad scientist. After a few more minutes of typing and rapidly appearing sweat-drops, Amy looked up and sighed, "I found nothing, not a trace."  
  
Luna's eyes widened slightly. Amy could always find something, no matter what!  
  
Artemis sighed. "Well, we can't do anything until it appears again."  
  
"This enemy will be one of the toughest we've fought yet," Raye commented with resentment in her eyes.  
  
After that and a few minutes of strategizing and gossiping, they split up, heading home for the night. There wasn't much they could do right now, as Artemis had said.  
  
***  
  
Ken winced, then quickly masked his face again before anyone noticed. Just as quickly, the pain was gone again. He frowned to himself. What was that? This time, the stomach pain had only lasted a millisecond.  
  
"I'm sorry if my class is disturbing you, Mr. Miyake," the teacher at the front intoned sternly.  
  
"No, Mr. Sakke-sensei," Ken answered politely. He managed to keep his mind on school for the rest of the day, but as soon as the bell rang, his mind became engulfed in puzzlement once more. Deep in thought, he slowly wandered home. He glanced up once when he bumped into someone and mumbled an apology. That was when he saw a bundle of newspapers with a picture of the Sailor Senshi on the front page. He rushed over and paid for one, without quite knowing the reason why.  
  
He sat down for a moment on a nearby park bench. His parents wouldn't be expecting him home for another fifteen minutes. He again glanced down at the black and white photo of the pretty soldiers of love, wondering idly why he had bought it. His eye caught on the brunette, Sailor Jupiter, and his stomach clenched.  
  
What's happening to me? he thought desperately.  
  
***  
  
Lita quickly slipped into her favourite pair of pink pajamas before sliding under the covers. Outside, she showed only a slight trace of nervousness, but inside her mind was whirling. What if the spider attacked again tonight?  
  
She sighed, turning over. It was no use working her self into a frenzy. Just sleep, she told herself, let your self sleep.  
  
***  
  
She flew out of bed. What was that? Lita was sure she had heard something. She glanced at her bedside alarm clock. The red, glowing numbers informed her it was ten minutes past the bewitching hour, midnight.  
  
She heard the sound again. It was.a knock at the door?! Yes, it was.  
  
Lita stumbled out the door, still wiping the sleep from her eyes. She opened the front door.  
  
"Ken! What are you doing here?" she said, a bit irritated at being disturbed again. The irritation soon turned to shock as she saw him double over in pain, clawing at his stomach and with sweat pouring down his face. He looked up with fear in his eyes.  
  
"What happened, Ken?" she asked in a panic.  
  
He opened his mouth, closed it again, and widened his eyes before screaming, "Lita!! Behind you!!"  
  
She spun around just in time to see the spider thing materialize out of thin air.  
  
"I've got you now." It's voice ground into her ears like sandpaper. What could she do? She couldn't transform in front of Ken, could she?  
  
"Lita! Move!" he cried from behind her, and shoved her out of the way. He paused slightly, feeling the pain in his stomach disappear for the time being.  
  
"Ken, no!" Lita cried as the spider spewed liquid poison at him. He dodged in just enough time, but the edge still lightly sprayed his arm. He yelped in pain. It was burning through his arm!  
  
Lita ran and did a hard roundhouse kick to the monsters face, and then flipped over it and grabbed a sharp knife from the kitchen. Before it had time to turn around completely, she slashed into the thick hide covering it's back. It didn't have much of an effect, however. The thing just grinned a horrific grimace, turned back around, and attacked Ken.  
  
"Damn it! What, are you scared to fight me alone! Leave him out of this!" Lita screamed furiously. The thing knew her weakness, Ken. There was nothing else she could do except.  
  
"JUPITER STAR POWER!"  
  
A swirl of lightning and flower petals surrounded her body, giving her the strength to transform into Sailor Jupiter!  
  
"JUPITER THUNDER CLAP SOUND!" she cried, aiming it at the spider's retreating back. It burned almost all the hair off it's back, and definitely caught it's attention. It turned with a snarl.  
  
"Sailor FOOL!!" it spat angrily.  
  
"The name's Jupiter, and I will not let you harm innocent bystanders! On behalf of the planet Jupiter, I will punish you!"  
  
"Stop spewing your sailor garbage and fight!" the thing snarled. "No one defeats Nacore, queen of all darkness and spiders everywhere!"  
  
Jupiter snorted. "Lame. Trust me, I've had a year to practice!" With that last jab, Jupiter powered up her attack. "Supreme Thunder.CRASH!"  
  
A lightning rod was drawn out of her emerald-studded tiara. Lightning gathered above her, and when its power was at it's maximum, she lashed out at Nacore.  
  
"EEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!" the furry spider shrieked before collapsing in pain. "You.will not.escape us." With that, she faded out, slowly dissolving to dust.  
  
Jupiter stared at the spot where Nacore had been just a moment ago. She heard a soft gasp, and spun around.  
  
"Ken! Are you alright?" she cried.  
  
"My arm.it was burnt.now." he stuttered it shock, holding it up for Jupiter to see. It was back in its original condition, perfect.  
  
Jupiter slowly morphed back into Lita, her powers drained.  
  
Ken was still in shock. "Lita.you're Sailor Jupiter? I thought she was just a myth? Are you okay?" he said in a blur.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Lita said tiredly. She was stunned Ken would still put her first, when he had been the helpless and hurt one. "You better go home and get some rest, okay?" she said gently.  
  
"Yeah, okay. See you tomorrow." He was still kind of in a daze. One thought kept running through his baffled mind: Who was Lita?? 


	2. Part Two

Jupiter's Secret  
  
Part Two  
  
  
  
Lita groaned, peering through blurred eyes at the alarm clock. It was 8:oo on a Saturday morning. Who could be at the door?  
  
The answer was, of course, Ken. He needed some answers, in a big way.  
  
When they had both settled on the couch with mugs of hot chocolate in front of them (at Lita's insistence), he started his questions and she started her explanations.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Ken started. "Don't you trust me?"  
  
"You would have been in danger!" Lita cried in distress.  
  
Ken shook his head fondly. "You're always trying to protect me."  
  
Lita grinned. "Look who's talking, Mr. Rainy Day Man," she teased, using his nickname.  
  
*FLASHBACK*  
  
Lita was standing in the rain, waiting for her boyfriend Freddie. She turned around and saw him step closer. "Freddie!" she cried happily. She ran to give him a hug but he pushed her away.  
  
"Lita," he said. "This just isn't working."  
  
"What? But I thought.you loved me?" she questioned with unshed tears threatening to overflow.  
  
He smirked. "Yeah, right. Listen, Lita, I've got a date. See ya." With that, he walked away holding an umbrella over his head.  
  
She ran a few steps after him, then stopped, her tears mixing in with the rain flowing down her face. Suddenly, the rain stopped pelting her. She looked beside her to see Ken, her best friend, holding an umbrella over her head. He was always there for her, no matter what. Just like a brother, strong and true.  
  
*END FLASHBACK*  
  
They smile, feeling safe from pain next to each other.  
  
Lita felt something brush the top of her hand and settle there. She glanced down and smiled. It was Ken's hand. She looked up again and saw him staring at her with a hint of a smile on his face. Her lips slowly parted as they leaned closer to one another. Their lips brushed for just a moment, and Lita felt her eyes explode in colour. They both drew back instantly.  
  
"What was that?" Lita said timidly after a moment.  
  
"A mistake, I suppose," Ken whispered, still staring at her.  
  
Lita shifted uncomfortably under his steady gaze, but couldn't turn away.  
  
"Lita?" he said softly. "Why are you so perfect? Why did you make me fall in love with you?"  
  
Her eyes widened. "What? What are you saying?"  
  
"Lita. I love you."  
  
*** Lita was walking alone in the mall. People sur rounded her, but she was still alone. The mornings' conversation with Ken ran through her mind, non-stop.  
  
Lita, I love you.  
  
How did she feel? He was her best friend! What if they fought? Then she would have no one left. The scouts were great, but she didn't know that they understood her. What could she do?  
  
She walked past fancy displays and lame clothes stores for old ladies. Suddenly, a flash of blond blocked her way.  
  
"Hey, Lita!" Mina said cheerfully. "Whatcha doin' here?"  
  
Lita smiled. "Oh, hey Mina. What's up?"  
  
"Nothing much."  
  
They walked a little ways more. Lita sighed softly.  
  
"What's wrong?" Mina asked concernedly.  
  
Lita fidgeted with her purse strap for a moment. "Oh, nothing."  
  
"C'mon, tell!" Mina begged.  
  
"Well.um.what if someone you've known practically forever asks you.on a date?" Lita stuttered. She wished he'd only asked her on a date.  
  
"What? Who?"  
  
Lita coughed. "Well, um.Ken," she said faintly.  
  
"Ken?!" Mina gasped. "I thought you two were just friends?"  
  
"Well, we were.but we kind of kissed."  
  
Mina's eyes grew large. "When?"  
  
"This morning, at my apartment," Lita blushed.  
  
"Wow. This is like a soap opera or something. I mean- well.wow. It's just.whoa," Mina stammered.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
They shopped for a little while longer, but Lita couldn't concentrate. She couldn't get her mind off Ken. Mina paused, and looked at her.  
  
"Let's go take a walk in the park," she suggested.  
  
"Why?" Lita frowned.  
  
Mina shrugged. "Who knows, might help you think."  
  
"Okay," Lita agreed reluctantly.  
  
They waited outside the mall for the next bus and in less than a half- hour, they're strolling down a path near the lake. After a few minutes, a youma appears directly in front of them!  
  
"TRANSFORM!" Lita shouted.  
  
"Right!" Mina cried back.  
  
"JUPITER STAR POWER!"  
  
"VENUS STAR POWER!"  
  
"You won't get away with sucking energy from innocent humans!" Venus spat angrily.  
  
After she said that, she realized it hadn't even been stealing energy, but oh well. That's what all of them did, right?  
  
"Stay out of this, you!" the huge, hairy youma howled in rage. "It's your friend I've come for!"  
  
"Huh?" Jupiter and Venus cried in unison.  
  
"Heh heh, come with me," the youma muttered evilly before swiftly grabbing Jupiter and vanishing.  
  
"Jupiter!" Venus shrieked. She paused, and then she began racing towards the east, towards the Shinto Shrine.  
  
"Raye! Raye!" Venus shouted breathlessly when she arrived.  
  
Raye stepped out of the fire-reading room. "Sailor Venus? Did anyone see your fuku?"  
  
"Hurry, just transform!" Venus howled.  
  
"What happened?" Raye questioned in confusion.  
  
Venus paused. "They've captured Lita." 


	3. Part Three

Jupiter's Secret  
  
Part Three  
  
  
  
Jupiter was trapped in a dark room. All that she could see was a faint grey light that engulfed the entire room.  
  
A small square of yellowish light appeared as a door opened to let a woman enter. Her most distinct feature was her shaved head. Piercing green eyes with long eyelashes stared down at her as the woman pursed her green-tinted lips.  
  
"Ah, I see you've made yourself comfortable," she grinned with malice. Jupiter glared back. Iron chains that her lightning and thunder could not shatter bound her hands and feet.  
  
"Who are you?" Jupiter growled menacingly.  
  
The woman laughed a smarting giggle. "You don't remember? Why, your mother would be so ashamed. Isn't she the one who always preached you on being polite and remembering that everyone was equal in your kingdom?" she smirked.  
  
Jupiter gasped. Her mother's kingdom? But that would mean this woman knew about the silver millennium and her part as Princess Makoto!  
  
The woman smirked even more as she saw Jupiter begin to understand. "Yes, that's right. I know about your place on the planet of Jupiter. And I also know of your powers."  
  
Jupiter frowned. "Tell me who you are!" she demanded.  
  
"Names are not important, but if you must know, I am Celeste, leader of the plot to eradicate you. Mua, ha ha. But first, we need your powers. They could come in very handy when I defeat the universe."  
  
Jupiter had heard all this before. But this woman seemed smarter than Queen Beryl and the rest. She hadn't stood there for a few hours, hurling petty insults until someone could come and rescue her. Now she was gone, and Jupiter was still in chains.  
  
*** All the scouts minus Jupiter raced to the park. "There's no sign of her anywhere!" Serena cried.  
  
Mina stopped, panting. "This was the last place I saw her."  
  
"What do they want with her?" Amy cried.  
  
"C'mon, scouts, transform!"  
  
"MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"  
  
"MERCURY STAR POWER!"  
  
"MARS STAR POWER!"  
  
"VENUS STAR POWER!"  
  
The transformation felt odd without Jupiter, not powerful enough. The Senshi paused and posed for a moment before springing to action.  
  
"Uh.Luna?" Sailor Moon began. "What do we do now? We don't know where she is."  
  
"Oh.uh." Luna looked baffled for a moment, then suggested, "Why don't you picture Jupiter in your minds and use the Scout Teleport? Maybe we can find her that way."  
  
Mercury, who already had her mini-computer out, blushed and put it away.  
  
The scouts clasped hands and whispered in unison, "Scout power."  
  
With a flash, they disappeared, and no one noticed when a good- looking boy with brown hair disappeared with them.  
  
*** Jupiter allowed a slight exhausted moan to escape her lips. She had used her thunder again and again against Celeste but that woman had just stood there smiling.  
  
When she finally gave up, the woman smiled a false pitying smirk and said, "Don't you understand? You're weak, almost useless. Then there's me, beautiful, strong and smart."  
  
She gloated about all her wonderful traits for a few minutes before seeming to remember that, yes; there actually was someone else there.  
  
"Oh, yes. Come with me, little girl." Celeste casually pointed at the bruised and bloodied girl in the corner, making her float with ease.  
  
The girl flinched a bit, but was not as startled as you might imagine. She was used to this routine. Celeste would take her to a blank room and torture her.  
  
Jupiter was slowly dying.  
  
*** "Where are we??" Artemis inquired wearily.  
  
The Senshi were too busy looking around in awe to answer, and it was no wonder. They had traveled to a place where everything and anything was bleeding.  
  
"Oh, my God," Venus whispered. Jupiter was here? How could she survive?  
  
Mercury had her VR goggles on, and did a few calculations before removing them and pointing into the distance.  
  
"See that building? The readings I'm getting on it show that the molecular stability and frequency don't correspond with the gravitational pull of the land mass of."  
  
Mercury got a dreamy look on her face as she talked about science or something. Sailor Moon, Venus, Mars, and the cats just sweated massively.  
  
"Mercury! In English, please, and hurry!" Sailor Mars finally shouted, speaking for all of them.  
  
Mercury paused to catch her breath. "What I'm trying to say is that castle in the distance is a portal to another dimension, and it may even be another dimension!"  
  
Mars' eyes widened. "Do you think that's where Lita is?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
*** Jupiter gasped again and again in pain. It felt like her insides were being pulled out!  
  
"Where is that stone?" Celeste muttered quietly, but not so quietly that Jupiter didn't hear.  
  
What stone? she thought desperately. She could barely open her eyes through the pain. Then finally, she didn't have to. Everything was black.  
  
*** Ken looked at the four sailor soldiers and their guardian cats in front of him. How did he get there? It was simple, really. He touched onto one of the scouts' boots as they transported, and he was swept up with them. They must be looking for Jupiter, his Lita.  
  
They began to speak. He strained his ears, unmoving from his crouch. The castle! That was where she had to be. His face contorted. The stomach pains were almost unbearable now. But as soon as he started walking behind the scouts, the pains stopped.  
  
*** The scouts began walking, oblivious to their shadow, Ken.  
  
"I wonder what they could want with just Jupiter," Artemis mused out loud. "You would think they would capture Princess Serenity if they captured anyone."  
  
Sailor Moon shrieked. "Argh! No way! Those NegaCreeps aren't getting me anytime soon!"  
  
"But this makes you think," Mars pointed out. "If they could capture Lita this easily, the rest of us solitarily won't stand a chance."  
  
The four girls walked on, a bit forlorn at the thought of this.  
  
And still Ken followed. As soon as he stopped, the pains started up again. So he kept going.  
  
*** "Mommy!" Mako-chan shouted happily.  
  
Her mother smiled fondly on her little daughter. "Makoto, you know you shouldn't run when people are around. It's un-lady-like," she gently reprimanded.  
  
Makoto pouted for a moment before pointing out that it was only her and her mother.  
  
Queen Jupiter paused before saying, "Alright! Let's go!"  
  
The Queen and the Princess of Jupiter ran and frolicked in the springy green fields, laughing and rolling in the flowers.  
  
When they finally stopped to catch their breath, Queen Jupiter's face turned serious.  
  
"Makoto," she began slowly.  
  
"Yes, mommy?" Mako-chan said innocently.  
  
The Queen pursed her lips. She didn't think her daughter was ready for this, but her husband had thought otherwise. Soon she would be off to the Moon, learning how to act as a princess. "Darling, I have something to give you."  
  
Little Makoto grinned eagerly. "What is it, mommy?"  
  
She laughed at her daughter's enthusiasm. "Close your eyes and hold out your hands, okay?"  
  
"Okay!" Princess Makoto did as she was told with a smile on her still-babyish lips.  
  
Queen Jupiter fumbled around for the jade Wisdom Stone. She gently placed it against her daughter's forehead and watched as it melted into the skin, finally disappearing altogether. Then, as to not disappoint Makoto, she took out a small bag of candies and placed it in her cupped hands.  
  
Makoto opened her eyes and looked down in delight at the candies. "Wow, thanks mommy!" she cried in glee.  
  
Mother smiled at daughter with a sad look in her eyes, for she knew that now Princess Makoto had the responsibility of keeping the Wisdom Stone safe within her. The same stone that if unlocked, could lead the bearer to all the knowledge in the universe, which could ultimately lead to the destruction of it. But to get this stone, you must first kill the holder of it.  
  
Mako-chan was still staring up at her mother with adoring eyes. Her mother forced a happy smile, for her daughter's sake. "Everything will be alright, Makoto."  
  
Makoto looked puzzled. "I know, mommy, why wouldn't it be?"  
  
About five years after that day, however, the Silver Millennium ended with Beryl's attack and everyone was sent to the future. Makoto was no different, and she was reborn as Lita Kino, also known as Sailor Jupiter! Only, she still contained the Wisdom Stone within her. It was the same stone that transformed her to Sailor Jupiter.  
  
*** The Wisdom Stone.the stone! Sailor Jupiter's eyes shot open after a dream of her past, during the Silver Millennium. She was certain it was a forgotten memory, only how could she remember what happened over a thousand years ago? There was a part of her deep down that knew the dream spoke truth.  
  
But wait a minute, she thought to herself. Celeste couldn't find it when she'd searched, so where was it? But if the stone transformed her into Sailor Jupiter, then it would only be visible when she was in civilian form, as Lita.  
  
Wait! She remembered something. She had to be killed to get the stone. Celeste must not realize that yet, but she will soon enough.  
  
That means I must escape, or the entire universe is doomed and I'm dead! She had been trying to escape, though! Could she maybe use the stone to flee? Jupiter let her warrior fuku slowly melt into her normal clothes. She sat down in a meditation position, legs crossed and eyes shut. Good thing Raye had taught them all to meditate. It would help to grasp the Wisdom Stone.  
  
Lita let her mind rest, forgetting everything else completely except for the stone. She felt around with her mind, searching for it. There it was! It was a deep green, and it almost looked like fruit. She bit into it, forgetting everything else as if in a trance. It was juicy and sweet, so sweet, and juice dribbled down in her mind's eye. The way out appeared in her mind, a slight weakness along the floor. As she felt herself floating back to reality, she saw the stone restore itself, whole again. But her mouth still contained the sweetness of it. 


	4. Part Four

Jupiter's Secret  
  
Part Four  
  
  
  
"I am Sailor Moon, the Champion of Justice!"  
  
"I am Sailor Mars, the scout of Fire!"  
  
"I am Sailor Mercury, the scout of Water!"  
  
"And I am Sailor Venus, the scout of Love!"  
  
"And in the name of Sailor Jupiter, we shall punish you!" the four remaining Senshi cried as one.  
  
"Ha, ha." Celeste wasn't impressed.  
  
"Hey, you're not allowed to laugh, this is serious!" Sailor Moon whined irritably.  
  
Celeste only smirked. She did enough smirking to cover all of Tokyo. "I suppose you've come for your little Sailor pal?"  
  
"That's right! Venus Love Chain.ENCIRCLE!" Venus cried.  
  
"Shine Aqua.ILLUSION!"  
  
When the fog cleared, the two heroines gasped. There wasn't a scratch on her!  
  
"Ha, you think you can take me on little girls?" Celeste challenged. "Go ahead and try."  
  
"Fine!" Mars hollered. "Mars Celestial Fire.SURROUND!"  
  
"Still nothing!" Venus gasped.  
  
"That's right," Celeste grinned. "Now it's my turn." With that, she struck out with a bolt of lime-green power. The scouts yelped and ducked out of the way. They all made it, but just barely.  
  
***  
  
Ken was witnessing all of this. Surprisingly enough, neither the scouts nor the cats had noticed his presence the entire way. He snuck around the battle, and ran down a hall. He only wanted to find Lita.  
  
***  
  
Meanwhile, the scouts were still battling off Celeste.  
  
"Come on, scouts, pool your powers!" Luna shouted.  
  
"Alright! Moon Tiara."  
  
"Shine Aqua."  
  
"Celestial Fire."  
  
"Love Chain."  
  
"MAGIC!"  
  
"ILLUSION!"  
  
"SURROUND!"  
  
"ENCIRCLE!"  
  
For once, they didn't get interrupted by the bad guy in the middle of this. All four powers surged together at Celeste, who wasn't harmed very much, but was beginning to weaken at holding up this shield.  
  
The scouts were much more tired though. They couldn't hang on much longer, and if they wanted to win, it would have to be soon.  
  
***  
  
Ken dashed from door to door, knocking on each one. "Lita?" he called over and over.  
  
Finally, he heard a weak response. "Ken?"  
  
"Lita!" he cried. "Where are you?"  
  
"Right here," she replied, stepping out of a room a few feet away.  
  
"Lita!" Ken dashed up to her and she jumped into his arms. He noticed she was bloody and bruised, but didn't say anything. They had to find a way out. Which reminded him.  
  
"How did you get out?" he asked in confusion.  
  
Lita smiled tiredly, her dazzling emerald eyes shining up at him. "I had to dig my way out."  
  
"Really?"  
  
She laughed. "Yes, really. But how did you get here?"  
  
He blushed. "I followed your friends." He paused and cleared his throat. "The.uh.Sailor Scouts."  
  
"The scouts?" Lita asked. "Are they alright? Where are they?"  
  
Ken winced. "Maybe you shouldn't fight with them."  
  
"They're fighting?" Lita said in shock. "Against Celeste? Let's go."  
  
Ken started to lead her down the hall, back where he'd come from.  
  
***  
  
The scouts were getting toasted. Every time they fought back, Celeste got a little more tired and they became almost drained. They were all sweating and gasping for breath, even Luna and Artemis, who'd had to step in a few times. Then, just as Celeste was about to attack again, a voice came.  
  
"Hold it right there, NegaTrash!"  
  
"Who's there?" Celeste demanded. There aren't any more scouts, are there? Unless.  
  
A tall figure stepped into light, for all to see. She was clothed in green fuku, with a long brown ponytail swinging behind her.  
  
"Sailor Jupiter!" the scouts cried gleefully.  
  
"That's right, and I've come to punish you in the name of Jupiter!" Her face, legs and arms were still a bit bloody, but she had a renewed strength to her.  
  
"Jupiter Thunder Clap Sound!"  
  
This swift attack managed to catch Celeste off guard, frying her. That one attack did more to Celeste than ten attacks against her with a shield.  
  
"Now you're dead meat," Celeste spat, hissing like an alley cat. Several shocks of lime-green spewed out from Celeste, heading straight for Jupiter. There was a frozen instant when she thought she was in hell and already dead, because what she saw was straight from her nightmares. Ken had thrown himself in front of her.  
  
"Nooo!!!!" Jupiter shrieked. "Ken!!!!!!"  
  
As he began to collapse, she caught him in her arms and slowly knelt with him to the ground. "Ken, no. You can't leave me," she whispered to his still body. "You promised you'd always be here." Tears began to wash over her face, leaving little trails in the bloodstains. "Ken, I do love you," she insisted. "Ken, I love you! I'm sorry! Come back to me!"  
  
His body lay motionless still, and Celeste gave an evil laugh. "Now that lover-boy's gone, we can get down to business."  
  
Sailor Jupiter lay Ken gently on the floor, and stood up, filled with rage that coursed through her veins thickly. Tears still streamed down, but they were red- hot now, not the refreshing cool they'd been before.  
  
"Wisdom Stone," she prayed. "Give me the strength to defeat this evil being who killed Ken."  
  
"What?" Celeste gasped. "How do you know about the Wisdom Stone?"  
  
Jupiter ignored her, feeling the power of generations of Jupiter Royalty flow through her. It was her mother, she was certain. I won't be defeated, she vowed. Not this time.  
  
"Shocking Thunder, vanquish this evil being. JUPITER SHOCKING THUNDER BIND!!!" Jupiter shouted with all her strength. A strange light glowed in her eyes. For a moment nothing happened. Then, Celeste started shaking and it looked like her skin was peeling from the inside. Suddenly, bolt of lightning burst from inside her and slashed her to ribbons. Just as quickly, she vanished and Jupiter collapsed.  
  
The scouts stood in shock for a moment, then Venus ran to her friends side. "Jupiter! Jupiter, are you okay? Answer me!" she cried.  
  
Mars was checking Ken's pulse. "I don't feel anything!"  
  
Sailor Venus was getting hysterical. "I don't think she's breathing! We have to help them!" She broke off into low sobs.  
  
Sailor Moon was crying too. "Luna, can't I use my healing wand?"  
  
Luna shook her head despondently. "That only works when you're restoring someone's energy to them, not when they've been...killed.by the Negaverse."  
  
"They can't be dead, they just can't be!" Sailor Moon's voice cracked when she said 'dead'. But they were. 


	5. Part Five

Jupiter's Secret  
  
Part Five  
  
  
  
Lita smiled as she pushed Ken into a pool of clear water. He bounded out, picked her up, and threw her in too. They splashed and played around for what seemed like hours before they both got out. They were completely dry.  
  
"Is this a dream?" Lita wondered.  
  
"Why, do you usually dream about me?" Ken teased.  
  
Lita stuck out her tongue. "No, but we're not even wet. Isn't that kind of odd?"  
  
Ken frowned. "Yeah, that is weird. Last thing I remember is seeing you face, and then I must have fallen asleep. What about you?"  
  
Lita thought, then gasped as the answer came to her. "Ken, we're dead!"  
  
He laughed, then stopped abruptly. "You're.not joking?"  
  
"We have to get back!"  
  
***  
  
The scouts were still sitting in the castle, all of them crying. Venus was hunched, over Jupiter's prone body, sobbing, when she noticed with shock a slight glow to it. What's happening?  
  
***  
  
Lita was sitting on the floor, motionless. Ken peered at her doubtfully. What was she doing? Did she have the power to bring people back to life? Were they even dead? He sure didn't feel dead. He felt.well, happy. He was finally with Lita, and she was safe.  
  
He turned his attention back to her. Okay, now she was glowing! He wanted desperately to yell out her name, to wake her, but she had told him not to, no matter what. She glowed brighter. He felt his stomach pains start. No! That's what they were from! Whenever Lita was in danger, his pains began! It made sense, in bizarre-o land. Just to test it out, he lifted his foot as if he were going to kick her. The pains got so bad, he collapsed. I thought you couldn't feel pain if you were dead, he wondered weakly. I guess protecting Lita is a full-time job.  
  
***  
  
Lita could feel the Wisdom Stone. She took it and thought about saving Ken. How could she do this? Just concentrate, she told herself sternly. She started to focus, but the crystal shattered! What's going on? she thought desperately.  
  
"Makoto," an elegant voice called to her. She realized who it was instantly.  
  
"Mother?" she said tremblingly.  
  
"That's right."  
  
"Mother, where are Ken and I?" Makoto asked.  
  
"You are in the plains between life and death. Now Makoto, you don't know how to use the Wisdom Stone. You shouldn't be using it, should you?"  
  
"Mother," she said softly. "I have to save Ken."  
  
"No, Makoto," Queen Jupiter pleaded. "If you save him, you might not be able to save yourself, and even if you do, the Stone will turn to dust."  
  
"I don't care about the stone! I just want to save Ken!" Lita, now Princess Makoto, cried. "Why does everything have to be so complicated? Why can't I just do this?"  
  
"Because if you do, you will not be able to transform into Sailor Jupiter any longer."  
  
That stopped Makoto. There must be another way.  
  
"I can save you, and you alone," the Queen said. "I don't have enough power to save you both."  
  
"No.mother, I must save him." Makoto said, clinging to hope like a child to a blanket.  
  
She could feel her mother smile. "I understand. I hope you make the right decision." Then Makoto could no longer feel her presence, and transformed back to normal Lita.  
  
She quickly came out of her meditation position, and walked over to Ken, who was glad she was okay. Inspiration struck her. "Ken, come here for a second."  
  
He obligingly came closer. Lita caught hold of his hand and brushed her fingers with his. Concentrating hard, she watched as a small half of a stone came out of her hand and transferred to his. "What's happening?" she heard him ask, but she couldn't lose focus. She waited until the entire crystal half was submerged into him before looking up and speaking.  
  
"Now, if you combine your strength with mine, we should both be able to get back safely."  
  
"How does it work?" Ken asked, still partially in shock.  
  
"Just concentrate on what you want to do. Think of the stone and concentrate, alright?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
They clasped hands and concentrated on the crystal. They were one. Ken felt Lita's incredible weakness from fighting so much, and also her fighting spirit, which would not allow her to give up. He also felt her trepidation about doing this, because she might lose her transformation powers. She felt his unwavering trust, and complete devotion to protecting her, even when she didn't need it.  
  
They became each other, and slowly felt ground give way to clouds.  
  
***  
  
The scouts had returned to their normal clothes, and were still trying to revive the long-gone Lita and Ken.  
  
"They can't be gone," sobbed Serena. "They just can't be! We can't fight without Jupiter!"  
  
Mina had noticed the light glow coming from Lita go out, but it was coming back, little by little. She pointed this out to the other scouts. The light kept getting stronger, and Ken began to glow too.  
  
Could it be..?  
  
Lita's hand twitched once, and then she let out a moan.  
  
"Lita!" Mina shouted joyfully. "You're alive!"  
  
One of Lita's eyes slowly opened. "Geez, Mina, you sound like Frankenstein."  
  
Mina laughed and hugged her, almost in hysterics.  
  
Ken slowly revived as well, complaining about a headache.  
  
"Ken!" Lita cried.  
  
"Lita!" Ken cried.  
  
They painfully crawled to one another and hugged. "You're okay!" they both cried. Then for some unknown reason, both began to cry. Lita had lost her power to become a Sailor Scout. 


	6. Epilogue

Jupiter's Secret  
  
Epilogue  
  
  
  
Days later, Serena, Amy, Raye, Mina, Darien, Luna, Artemis, and Ken -the whole gang- were at Lita's apartment. Lita and Ken had both been in the hospital until and few days ago. Luckily, there had only been one youma attack without Sailor Jupiter.  
  
Lita had felt her strength gradually returning to her, and she knew that in a less than a week's time, she would be able to fight with her friends once more as Sailor Jupiter. That wasn't what this meeting was about.  
  
It was about Ken, strangely enough. Since Lita had placed a part of the Wisdom Stone inside of him, Luna thought that he might now have the power to transform as well.  
  
"Try it, Ken," Lita suggested right after everyone had sat down.  
  
"What, transforming? I don't know." He looked uncomfortable. "What do I say?"  
  
"Just say whatever comes to mind," Darien said helpfully.  
  
Ken sighed. "Okay, here goes."  
  
"JUPITER POWER!"  
  
He transformed, all right. But what had he transformed into?  
  
He felt odd. As if he had just rummaged through someone else's closet and slipped on their life.  
  
Lita was the first to recognize him. "You must be.Prince Jupiter?" she said softly.  
  
That name felt right. "I.think so," he stuttered.  
  
Lita touched his cheek, squinting at his eyes. "Shinosaki?" she asked.  
  
"Makoto?" his voice trembled. Lita swiftly changed into Princess Makoto. They clasped each other's hands. Shinosaki leaned towards her.  
  
"But Ken," she whispered so softly the others couldn't hear. "I thought we were best friends."  
  
"We are!" he answered just as quietly. "But now I'll never have to see you get hurt by another jerk like Freddie. This can just be another aspect of friendship."  
  
"And what aspect is that?" she asked coyly, flipping a piece of hair out of his eyes.  
  
"This aspect!" he cried before scooping her up and kissing her like he'd always wanted. He remembered; he had kissed her before like this. In another time, another place. But she was here and now. He had died back then, but had been reborn, given another chance to be with her, and he wasn't going to waste a moment.  
  
Both had forgotten about the five girls around them. "Awwww!!!" four cried. The only self-contained one was Luna.  
  
Darien had a sweat drop. He didn't even know Ken. Luckily, Lita and Ken broke off their kiss when they noticed everyone staring.  
  
Serena cleared her throat in a sophisticated fashion before she began shouting, "LITA AND KEN SITTING IN A TREE! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"  
  
She had barely enough time to start running before Lita came after her. The rest of the scouts began chasing after them too, except Ken and Darien.  
  
"Not very mature, are they?" Ken commented.  
  
"Definitely not, " Darien agreed.  
  
"So let's show them how it's done!" Ken cried, racing after the girls. Darien went around the other way, and everyone landed in a big mob on the carpet. Everyone was laughing, and when everyone's limbs were sorted out, they all went home, except for Ken.  
  
Ken stayed around for one more kiss, only the first of many.  
  
  
  
The End 


End file.
